India vice-captain Axar Patel was instrumental in his team’s 7-run victory over England in the T20 World Cup semifinal on Thursday with the allrounder drawing accolades not for his batting or bowling but for his exceptional fielding efforts. Axar pulled off two brilliant efforts to send back the ominous looking Will Jacks and the England skipper Harry Brook, two wickets which helped India tighten the grip on the match.
In the first instance, Axar ran 24m backwards from the cover position to pull off a stunning catch off a slow-cutter from Jasprit Bumrah to dismiss Brook inside powerplay. This was followed up with another outstanding effort when in the 14th over, Jacks sliced an Arshdeep Singh delivery towards deep point and Axar scampered to his left to catch the ball before relaying it to Shivam Dube as he crossed the ropes.
Former player Sunil Gavaskar was effusive in Axar’s praises, saying the 32-year-old was becoming one of India’s greatest cricketers due to his all-round skills and cricketing intelligence. “Axar’s catch to dismiss Brook was unbelievable. Brook can take the game away and you have to grab every chance to get his wicket. Axar did that. He ran 24m away from his fielding spot, kept his eyes on the ball, balanced himself, and took the catch. Unbelievable stuff,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
“He also played a key role in Will Jacks’ dismissal. The Bethell-Jacks partnership was taking the game away. But Axar ran to his left, grabbed the ball, and smartly passed it to Shivam Dube. That shows great cricketing intelligence. At the highest level, temperament separates the greats from the good. With his batting and bowling, Axar is going to be one of India’s great players,” the former batting great added.
He also said that Axar was doing well to fill the void left by the retirement of Ravindra Jadeja from T20 Internationals back in 2024.
“We had Ravindra Jadeja before him and Axar is filling that void well. His bowling needs a little more polish. That will come with experience. His line, length, and speed are improving every year. The vice-captaincy means he is thinking about everyone’s game, not just his own. That is great for his growth,” said the former India captain,” he said.